


And The Turkey Hit the Curb

by StellarLibraryLady



Series: Library Antics [12]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen, Holiday Angst, Holiday Humor, Humor, Thanksgiving, goldilocks syndrome, turkeys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2016-11-24
Packaged: 2018-09-01 21:21:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8638561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StellarLibraryLady/pseuds/StellarLibraryLady
Summary: The misadventures of cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Celebrating the Goldilocks Syndrome.  
> This work could also belong in the series "Norene's Magical, Mystical World" since it involves her biological family as well as her library family.

Norene and her mother got up at 4 a.m. one Thanksgiving morning to get the holiday feast started. It had been a late evening the night before, and the other members of the family would be sleeping late. Norene’s sister’s family had come from another state to celebrate and now lay in various locations about the house in peaceful slumber. Also present in the house was Norene’s father, still fast asleep.

Norene’s mother, who didn’t even like turkey, prepared the bird and placed it in the oven. Her mother also was responsible for preparing the Christmas Eve oyster stew that would be served a few short weeks later. But ever since pregnancy, she had been allergic to oysters. Nonetheless, every Christmas Eve, she was handed the raw oysters and the whole milk and pointed toward the stove. Half of the family eagerly lapped up the delicious stew for Christmas Eve while the other half of the family ingested, what else? Tamales! What else could possibly say Christmas better?! Especially to people of German descent?! And to make it worse, the tamales weren't even homemade! They came out of the famous can that is easily recognized on the grocer's shelf! Norene never was sure exactly where that tradition of tamales for Christmas Eve supper had started. She was one of the oyster stew eaters herself. 

But on this particular Thanksgiving morning, the turkey was finally in the oven. It was too late to go back to bed. Besides, it was time to feed the chickens and get the farm going for another day. Nothing stops work on the farm, not even holidays or guests.

Norene, in the meantime, put together a special cranberry salad that was supposed to be another star of the large Thanksgiving feast. Norene had been anxious to produce this holiday treat and was ready to hear the oohs and ahhs of her family. Time would prove, however, that only she and her mother would partake of that tedious salad. Father and her sister’s family did not trust it. Norene swore it would be plain strawberry gelatin for the plebeians from then on. Knowing them, though, they would appreciate it.

Anyway, after that long, exhausting day that lasted almost twenty-four hours for Norene and her mother (guests had to be entertained until the wee hours of the coming morning, for heaven’s sake!), with another long day of farm chores and heavy cooking staring her in the face, Norene’s mother swore that was the last time she would get up at that hour of the morning to roast a turkey. From then on, the turkey would be roasted ahead of the holiday and the cooked meat would be frozen. Norene had already made her vow about the special salad, or any other cooking. From then on, she intended to cook only what they would eat. Future meals might be a little dull, but at least they would be consumed. Norene and her mother ended that Thanksgiving tireder, but wiser.

 

Ariel and Kayla knew that Norene’s mother now roasted the turkey ahead of the Big Day, so on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Ariel asked Norene if that chore had been done and the turkey was all refrozen and waiting for its glorious entrance. Norene hem-hawed, then Ariel said, “You surely know if the turkey is done, don‘t you?” To which, Norene hem-hawed some more until Ariel finally lost interest and the subject got changed as it always does in the library.

The next day, Wednesday, was, of course, the day before Thanksgiving vacation was slated to begin. Once again, Kayla, Ariel, and Norene were running the front of the library and bringing each other up to date about final plans for the holiday.

“Uh,” Norene began hesitantly. “I’ve been cleared to explain something.” 

Ariel and Kayla both gave her puzzled, but interested looks.

“You asked me yesterday if our turkey had been baked and refrozen. You noticed yesterday that I was rather noncommittal.” 

Oh, it was going to be about the turkey, the faces of Ariel and Kayla said. 

“I couldn’t say yesterday, but I’ve been cleared to tell the story.”

Kayla’s eyes began to twinkle, and a grin started crossing her face. She knew a lead-in to one of Norene’s crazy stories when she heard one. She knew that Norene lived in a magical, mystical world. That concept was continually being proven for all to see. Norene did nothing to influence the occurrences; they just happened to the amazement of all. In the meantime, Kayla had been only half-listening to Norene and Ariel, but something about the reluctance and caution in Norene’s voice now signaled that there was a bizarre story that was about to be revealed. Kayla put her papers aside and turned to Norene with her now undivided and expectant attention.

Norene began the tale that had been given security clearance. “Even though Mom had a turkey in the freezer that she had gotten at Easter, she bought another one last Saturday and roasted it on Sunday. When it cooled enough to try, it was too spicy. Somehow, too much sage had been sprinkled on. When you opened your mouth and breathed in, the sage really lit up when mixed with oxygen. It seemed to burn a path down the throat. Mom was very disappointed. I heard quite a few comments about that turkey for the rest of Sunday. Still muttering, Mom got the Easter turkey out of the freezer so it could defrost overnight and she could bake it on Monday.

“Mom was still complaining about the over-flavored turkey on Monday morning,” Norene continued. “I was trying to eat breakfast, but all I could hear about was that aromatic turkey. Finally, I said, ‘This is Monday. It’s trash day. I think I’d throw that turkey away.’

“I barely got that out of my mouth, when, wham! Mom grabbed that spicy meat, and the turkey hit the curb!”

“That’s turkey number one,” Ariel said.

In the meantime, Kayla’s eyes were gleaming. She was loving this story.

“When I got home from work on Monday evening,” Norene continued, “Mom, once again, was fuming, but for a different reason. She had roasted the second turkey, the one that had been in the freezer since Easter, and it tasted old. I tasted a bite of dark meat and got a tiny bit of fat with it. And, oh, yeah, both the fat and the flesh of that turkey tasted old. No amount of gravy could hide that fact. Besides, the gravy would taste old, too, because it would be made of turkey drippings. Bottom line: we definitely couldn’t have that bird to eat.”

“That’s turkey number two,” Ariel said.

Without Norene saying it, Ariel and Kayla knew that the second turkey was scheduled to hit the curb for the trash man to take away next Monday.

“I was tired from working all day,” Norene continued, “but nothing doing, instead of the evening news at 5:30 followed by supper at 6:00, Mom and I had to drive over to Forbes and buy another turkey.” Forbes was a larger grocery store in a nearby town.

“That’s turkey number three,” Ariel said.

“Ariel, when you asked me yesterday if the turkey was roasted or had to be roasted yet, I couldn’t answer truthfully either way, because the third turkey was just beginning to roast in Mom‘s oven. Hopefully, it will be okay for us to eat, and we will finally have that part of our Thanksgiving dinner within sight of the table. Already, Mom is beginning to see the humor of the turkey dilemma, so she said I could tell you ladies what had happened.” 

By this time Kayla was laughing with glee. She entertained her own family over Thanksgiving with the quirky story.

Oh, by the way, the third turkey was wonderful. But it took three roasted birds before one finally suited. Norene should have considered calling her mother ‘Goldilocks’ because it took three choices before she found a turkey that was just right. Norene thought that even though her mother could see the humor of the situation, she’d better not push her luck too much.

 

Happy Turkey Day! Enjoy your turk-turk! Norene hopes that you get to celebrate the Holidays with the people you love. And, that it doesn’t take three birds before you can find one that is just right for your feasts!

Thanksgiving, 2016

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing dealing with Goldilocks and/or turkeys.


End file.
